About C. Thomas Davis

In 1997, a transformation of the heart took place in my life. It was a time of realizing what things mattered most to God. <br /><br />It happened in Vladimir, Russia, among a group of Russian orphans. I was leading a Christian camp for 140 orphans with my wife and 6-month-old son. While walking in these Fields of the Fatherless, I started to understand how important ministering &quot;to the least of these&quot; is to our Father. Here were innocent children, who, because of tragic circumstances not caused by what they had done  were rejected, isolated and abandoned. I was compelled to do something!<br /><br />As a pastor, I knew the purpose of the church was to reveal God's love to kids just like this. As a &quot;Father to the fatherless&quot; (Psalm 68:5), God's heart and character is revealed through the love of His people. But in Russia, the love of God wasn't being shown to children who desperately needed it. At that moment, I knew I would spend the rest of my life being an advocate for orphaned children. <br /><br />Currently, I am the President of CHILDREN'S HOPECHEST, an international child advocacy organization bringing God's hope and love to orphans around the world. Our work is focused in Russia, Eastern Europe, and Southern Africa. HopeChest helps churches and corporations around the U.S. adopt an orphanage and make a real difference in the lives of orphans.<br /><br />Before joining CHILDREN'S HOPECHEST, I was a pastor for ten years. For seven of those years, Ifocused on youth ministry. I've served on the staff of several well-respected churches in Dallas, Texas including Metroplex Chapel and Hillcrest Church. While at Hillcrest, I started a youth church called Crowded House with several local leaders. Soon we decided that Dallas was ready for a church that ministered to post-moderns, and together we started the Plaza Student Church in Carrollton.<br /><br />While at Hillcrest Church and the Plaza, I also taught conferences and seminars with Leadership Network, an advance scout for the emerging church. Specifically, I worked with the Terra Nova Project, focusing on a new way of thinking about church and how to minister within that context.<br /><br />A little known fact about me: I am also a professional trainer in leadership development and have trained Fortune 500 CEOs and their executive staffs. <br /><br />Fields of the Fatherless was my first book, released in 2002. In September 2007, my second book, Red Letters will be out as well. Right now, I' working on several other fiction and non-fiction books--all themed around helping orphans. <br /><br />Out of all these things, my favorite is being a father and a husband. I've been married to my wife, Emily, for 10 years and we have 6 children--including one adopted daughter from Russia.

Jesus has called you to be one of his disciples. I know this because you are reading this book. The Holy Spirit has led you thus far through your desire for a deeper life, a more authentic faith and a more certain hope in the God Jesus knows. Jesus has invited you to become one of his apprentices. This is not because of your strength or skills, but because he knows that if you learn how to think as he thinks and to do the kinds of things that he did, you can live an amazing life. You may not move mountains or walk on water, but I have confidence that you can begin to learn how to be patient and...

Once we have the right narratives in place, we need to deepen them in the rest of our lives through specific activities that are aimed at making the narratives real not only to our minds but to our bodies and souls. You can call these activities “spiritual disciplines,” but I prefer to call them “soul-training exercises.” The reason for this is because the spiritual disciplines are actually not spiritual at all. Thinking they are “spiritual” leads people to practice them as isolated activities that are done in an attempt at making a person more “spiritual,” whatever that means....

The question, then, is not only: Can we learn to read the gospels better, more in tune with what their original writers intended? It is also: Can we discover, by doing this, a new vision for God’s mission in the world, in and through Jesus, and then—now!—in and through his followers? And, in doing so, can we grow closer together in mission and life, in faith and hope, and even in love? Might a fresh reading of the gospels, in other words, clear the way for renewed efforts in mission and unity? Is that what it would look like if we really believed that the living God was king on earth as...

Spirituality is the essence of who we are. It is about our inner self, separate from the body. It includes the way we think and the thoughts we think, as well as our perceptions of the world. Often it has some religious overtones.' But, spirituality is also about our inner or private being, our real self. It is evident in social, emotional and intellectual activities. It transcends normal physical and biological wants and needs. For many, spirituality is the intangible, life-giving force in all people, a state of intimate relationship with the inner world of higher values and morality (Vaill,...